Only tried one thing when I was here but it was amazing. I tried the root beer cooler; it was a…read morespecial thing that they had that day. It was my first time to Charlie & Echo and I also never had a cooler. The staff behind the counter was great! He probably senses my hesitancy about the cooler and offered me a sample before I went all in and got a glass. They also have some snacks to munch on. I would love to come back to try their wine.

Such a great little spot! The service was great and super friendly. This was my first time here but…read moreit definitely won't be the last. Looks like they have a lot of events that I would like to come try.

I had the pleasure of sampling four varieties of wine at the Viking Festival this past weekend…read more These Wines, Liqueurs, Cordials, and Schnapps are made from the Sap of Birch Trees. They are truly exceptional and delicious. My favorite is the Sav Sno, it is a sparkling wine. They can be purchased online as well as in some local liquor stores. Go and try it for yourself, you will not be disappointed. Cheers!!

From the owner: Visit our online store. Viking Spirits is focused on the northern region of Scandinavia, which has…read morea long history of producing world class spirits. With climate change, the grape wine region of southern Sweden is growing in size from year to year. Our goal is to continue to build close relationships with both new and existing producers and make Scandinavian wine and spirits common household names in the USA.

I went for a walk in LJ where I live and happened upon the above tasting room. Peter, the host, was…read morefriendly and welcoming. My husband and each did a flight. I was pleasantly surprised at the wine. Easy to drink and surroundings pleasant. I would recommend folks stopping in for a tasting. Prices reasonable and wine drinkable. Enjoy!!

Marina was fabulous and so sweet when we stopped in for a glass of wine! We love the Ramona winery…read moreand so happy to have this wine bar close to us in La Jolla!

After lunch at Dukes, the hotel said our room wasn't ready so we're walking down Prospect in La…read moreJolla. We come across this very cool place that is in olive oil and wine bar! You had me right there. Plus, they celebrate Wine Wednesday and it was Wednesday. How do I not go in? We went in to kill some time and had the best time talking to people and having a glass of wine. In the end, we bought a fabulous Chardonnay and an equally fabulous champagne all discounted. It's what I love about Travel, is if you just wander you never know what you're gonna find and this was one of these occasions great people great place

Altogether a very fun and great experience. Lots of wine options and yummy food to enjoy. It is a…read morebit pricey but very worth it. Great option for gluten free accommodation.

Quality food with attentive and helpful services…read more The wait staff took care of us, a party of 14 people, without feeling the pressure of ordering extra. A nice group lunch! Will come back with family for dinner.

A longtime favorite for the downstairs wine store and tasting program, and for business lunches and…read moredinners. Warm, comfortable atmosphere. A variety of starters and entrées to choose from. On our most recent visit, with another couple, we had a few hiccups with the service. The wine and bussing service were excellent. But we had to flag down the waiter to bring a missing salad after a lengthy delay. We started with an escargot appetizer ($18) with tarragon and basil compound butter, which didn't match the traditional garlic butter recipe in most restaurants. The snails weren't terrific, either. The Strawberry Caprese was a hit, and it was also $18. For entrées, the pan-seared scallops ($43) were the favorite. Followed by the chicken with seasonal vegetables ($36), then the duck (two ways, $39), confit and roasted, with the roasted being a bit dry, and a decent Madeira sauce. A couple at the next table praised the peppercorn steak, an 8-ounce ribeye, for $48.

I'm a beverage geek at heart. Some of my best food and food/travel moments have been when there is…read morea huge educational component to a tasting. However it wasn't until 2020 that I fully embraced my passion in wine - while I have wine tasted in a few places around the world, Paso Robles in particular stressed the importance of education in the wine tasting experience. Many of the tasting room staff and sommeliers have at least a wine certification (usually WSET or CMS) and proudly boast it. So I figured if I'm going to spend quite a bit of time and money on wine, I might as well be an educated consumer in the process. Since I don't work in the industry (I'm actually in healthcare) and I don't want to work in the restaurant biz as a sommelier the Court of Master Sommeliers cert route was a no-go. Plus the CMS route emphasizes self-study and I prefer classroom learning. For a hobbyist who may in the future want to dabble in the industry on the side, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust was the way to go. Being based in SD Wine Smarties with Lindsay was the most practical choice. She offers three levels of the WSET plus the diploma - first level being just a 1-day class followed by the test followed by the 2 and 3 being 4 and 8 1x/weekly classes, respectively, with an in-person as well as an online option. She offers her classes in San Diego as well as Temecula. Having dabbled in wine and tasted wine in parts of CA/Mexico/parts of Europe for at least 5 years my knowledge alone was enough to skip L1 plus for the cost of the class (~$300) I would rather spend on wine club allocations. So I decided to start at L2. If you are not sponsored by your employer the cost is around ~$700 for L2 and ~$1300 for L3 and if you are taking the online portion you'll also have to purchase your wines separately. While you could also skip L2 and go straight to L3 in theory many people have advised to at least take L2 to get used to the WSET testing style and to also get used to the "systematic approach to tasting", which is essential if you want to pass the L3 tasting portion of the exam (L2 is only a 50-question multiple choice exam). Plus Lindsay does have a discount for L3 students who have taken her previously for L2. Lindsay was an awesome instructor who has such passion for wine and has a lot of experience gaining that knowledge from all over the world. She does have a propensity to go slightly off topic to talk about her travels but as a fellow traveler myself I actually enjoyed those anecdotes. But in the end I highly recommend to study off the WSET course material - after all it is the WSET that tests you at the end of the day. Even while handling a full time job and other activities I studied on an average a few hours a week. There was a miscommunication at the end regarding my exam date that I had specifically mentioned a month before in an email starting the class. While the original date wasn't honored she did work with me to schedule an alternate date to take the exam. Turns out that I did pretty well - got a 94% on the L2, which qualifies as a "Pass with Distinction". The best part about taking Lindsay's WSET classes? Getting introduced to wines that I have never heard of or tasted before. I thought I knew a little more about wine than the average consumer but this was before I had ever known about a carménère or tasted a meursault. Because of this class I consider those wines some of my most favorite wines along with the usual Paso or Valle suspects. For this specifically I am super grateful. Looking forward to taking the L3 with Lindsay in 2022 and will update this review as such to detail the L3 experience.

I've studied with Lindsay and taken many of her classes over the last year or two, including WSET 2…read moreand 3. No matter where you are on your journey to learn about wine, Lindsay always makes you feel great about your level of understanding. Lindsay is so encouraging, and her classes are so enjoyable, that you almost don't realize that you've also learned a ton! She has the highest level of certification available (Master of Wine), and within that certification, received the Bollinger Medal, which is awarded to one person each year for excellence in tasting and outstanding achievement! Lindsay is incredibly gifted at understanding wine, and sharing that knowledge. I'm so glad she is in San Diego.

I've come for evening wine, and morning espresso... both hold their own. The setting is local and…read morewelcoming, the wine list has something for everyone, and the pastries are always fresh. The friendly hosts are always helpful with wine selections, and there's often special food vendors that come setup for an evening. Always keeps the experience fresh. Come enjoy a peaceful morning with a nice hand crafted mocha. This is definitely a local staple.

This wine bar and coffee shop is an outlet of the CPF winery where locals and visitors can enjoy…read morewine tastings, espresso drinks, baked goods and snacks. They have a lovely wine bar staffed with welcoming baristas and a lovely outdoor patio, and are situated in a little suburban neighborhood just off the 56 at Camino del Sur. I stopped by to pick up a few baked goods to take home. The barista was very pleasant and informative. She told me that the baked goods were from O'Brien's, that they have live music most weekends, and sometimes host food vendors to offer patrons their wares. We tried a chocolate croissant--crispyand delicious, a 4 after rewarming at home, banana walnut muffin--3, chocolate espresso scone--3. There's a happy hour W-F featuring 50% off bottles of wine and $2 of glasses. Check their online menu because it changes daily. Extra points, both for being a wine bar and for being the first (and only) to open shop in this little neighborhood. I wish we had one in ours, but CPF is convenient enough that we'll be back several times. Service--4 Wine selection--5 Baked goods--3.5 Ambience--4

I checked this place out for the first time yesterday. It was a nice little spot. It kind of felt…read morethat we had the place all to ourselves as we were the only ones there when we first arrived. I believe he was the owner; but he was very hospitable. They have unique wines infused in whiskey barrels. I had their Chardonnay which had a slight taste of whiskey in it but I thought it was pretty good. I also tried their pepperoni and sausage flat bread which also was pretty tasty. We were greeted by "Whiskey" the cat and as we were told apparently he was a stray and greets everyone as they arrive which was cute. They have misters which helped a lot with the heat.

Planning for birthday is stressful, imagine its your wife's birthday and now imagine it's a…read moremilestone birthday, it was indeed a big choice. Called 20+ Vineyard and put my requirements and was chose Crystal hill as my choice, I am so glad I made that decision. Best wine, amazing scenery, very private, kid friendly, pet friendly most of all sweetest Staff you will ever find. This is the best winery of Ramona by far and exactly what we were looking for. The view is stunning and beautiful view, atmosphere is very relaxing. Wine choices we were excellent, Excellent wine, especially the whiskey barrel wines! Wine Choices: We initially ordered wine flights, double and singles an we choose the below bottles from there. 1. 2016 Stone Lake Merlot 2. 2016 Whiskey Stone Lake Merlot 3. 2019 Malbec Rose 4. 2017 Whiskey Rose They even have food; their flatbread is amazing too. The Staff and owners were very nice, as we were having good time Scott the owner took the kids, around 10 of them to a short hike and showed them around the property and vineyard, kids had good time while adults were drinking up. Meanwhile Kristy engaged the smaller kids. It was all fun and everyone had fun. Special kudos to the lovely bartenders. If you are looking for great wines, amazing views, comfortable atmosphere, great staff, kid friendly, pet friendly, this is the place. We are going back soon